10 Console Games That Will Probably Be Banned In China

9. Sleeping Dogs (PS3, Xbox 360)

What goes for Grand Theft Auto, usually flies for its imitators. Sleeping Dogs is a similar pick to Chinatown Wars, but for an important distinction. Sometimes, in China, crime films are allowed to fly, especially if their made for artistic rather than commercial aims. A Touch of Sin, one of the best films of the past year, struggled through censors to find a release date. The film is a series of six shorts, all portraying different people from various social backgrounds in China driven to extreme violence. As of now, since its award seasons have passed and Americans got their copies, no one has reported if it was even released in its country of origin. Sleeping Dogs tells a similar story: Wei Shen, a San Francisco detective now working for Organised Crime and Triad Bureau in Hong Kong, must go undercover in the local Triads to bring them to justice. Imagine The Departed (or more appropriately Infernal Affairs), except you're in control of a cop who must both do his job and commit crimes to keep his cover. Infernal Affairs was a big hit in its home city of Hong Kong, but didn't screen in the rest of China. Sleeping Dogs is a game, not just about the corruption of Hong Kong, but the corruption inherent in the system, which, obviously, does not bode well for its chances. If it somehow flies under the radar, you can bet that it's sequel Sleeping Dogs: Triad Wars won't. (Probable) Official Statement: Banned for "accusations of institutional corruption," implying that "mainland China influences and directly deals with Hong Kong's independent corruption," not to mention "in addition to unoriginality, the presence of game-breaking bugs is inexcusable."